Three Steps to Humanizing Your Hiring Process

“Genius is the gold in the mine; talent is the miner that works and brings it out.” —Lady Marguerite Blessington

Lady Blessington—An Irish child of poverty who became a successful author—was no stranger to hard work and perseverance. She was a firm believer in using her natural and painstakingly developed gifts to improve her situation. The parallels between Lady Blessington’s motivations and the mindset of today’s top workforce talent are apparent, as is the need of businesses of all shapes and sizes to attract these individuals.

However, it’s one thing simply to attract talent and quite another to hire (and retain) talented individuals.

Humanity Wins Out Over Salary

If you’ve found success finding and bringing plenty of potential recruits and talented individuals to the hiring table, but have struggled to make the hires, it’s time to take a look at what’s preventing talent from committing to your company. While insurmountable differences regarding salary and benefits can certainly be a factor, it’s not the most important indicator of a good fit for your prospects. A lackluster recruiting experience is a top reason talented individuals turn down a job. Company culture is the number one reason talent chooses one position over another.

If all this points to improving your hiring techniques and showcasing company culture in the process, the question remains—how can you humanize your hiring (and your company), and increase your odds of recruiting talent? In the digital era, it’s likely no surprise; the process starts with technology.

Utilize hiring technology. While meshing technology and humanity can seem counterintuitive, using technology to ensure the best-fit potential employees enables you to hire talent that’s right for the job. Better yet, they’re more likely to feel a personal connection to their work—a factor the average office worker would give up $9,000 in salary to achieve. Include company culture items in your hiring platform assessments to put a human face on your company—and ensure you’re hiring employees who identify with you.
Stay connected during hiring and onboarding. Even if you use technology for recruiting, hiring, and onboarding, you still need to make an effort to build a connection with your potential hires. You can use automation to ensure timely responses to emails and completion of training but ensure all your outreach reads as if it’s crafted for each potential hire.
Involve your current employees. Whether you’re still on the hunt or onboarding newly hired talent, utilize your current hires to put a warm, welcoming face on your business. Invite them to share their opinions on working for your company via sites like GlassDoor and Indeed, and involve their friendly faces (and yours) in training literature and reach outs via sites like LinkedIn—provide them with a framework, first. Finally, after the hire, consider beginning an employee mentorship program, so your new talent doesn’t feel adrift within your organization.

Even if you offer an excellent salary package and remarkable benefits, real talent isn’t likely to stick around if your company comes off as cold, sterile, and uncaring. Do your best to put a human face on your recruiting, hiring, and onboarding processes—and increase your chances of obtaining talent that sticks.

Need more information about how to incorporate HireScore hiring technology into your hiring process? Speak with the team at Stang Decision Systems—call 906.226.2829 or request a free consultation today.